Apparatus for agitating and separating articles.



No. 7|6,979. Patented Dec. 30, I902.

H. B. ARNOLD.

APPARATUS FOR AGITATING AND SEPARATING ARTICLES.

(Application filed Dec. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

m: NORRIS PE FERS 20., woTo-umu, WASHINGTON, n. c.

Warren STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HARRY B. ARNOLD, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR AGITATING AND SEPARATING ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 716,979, datedDecember 30, 1902. Application filed December 2, 1901. Serial No.85,651. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY B. ARNOLD, of New Britain, county ofHartford,State of Con necticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Devices for Agitating and Separating Articles that PassThrough the Same,of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

This invention is particularly adaptable for use in connection withtinning and galvanizing plants, and especially where articles of smallsize are coated or plated.

The zinc or tin used in the ordinarilyknown galvanizing process actssubstantially as a solder, and it is very often the case when a largenumber of small pieces are galvanized that a greater percentage of themstick together, and it is necessary to sort out these pieces and againdip them in the plating solution to separate them, repeating thisoperation as long as any of the pieces are stuck or soldered together,which is a very laborious and expensive operation.

The object of this invention is to provide a device in which smallarticles which have been galvanized or tinned shall be separated fromone another and delivered into a cooling solution.

The device is clearly illustrated in the drawings, in which-- Figure 1is a sectional View. Fig. 2 is a plan View with the top removed.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings A denotes acylindrical body having a series of fingers B secured to the insidethereof and projecting toward the center. C denotes a cover for thiscylindrical body provided with the chute c.

D is a shaft mounted in suitable bearings and located within thecylindrical body. Projecting radially from this shaft are a series offingers which reach almost but not quite to the inner wall of thecylindrical body. These fingers on the shaft are staggered vertically,with the fingers projecting from the interior wall of the body, as shownin Fig. 1. This shaft is driven by any suitable means, as by the pulleyE and the belt 6.

At its lowerportion the tank A is provided with an outwardly-extendin gflange A. This flange serves to space the interior of the body A fromthe one end of a tank II, which contains a cooling solution, this tankhaving a box K therein to receive the pieces after of body A, assuringthe reception of all falling pieces in the box. The cover is providedwith an outwardly-extending flange, which seats on acorrespondingly-formed flange on the upper end of body A, the flangesbeing secured by any suitable means. The chute extends beyond the bodyA, having a flaring mouth and a passage-way with inclined parallel sidewalls, having a tendency to direct the articles or pieces toward theagitator. As is well known, a large number of these pieces are placed ina gauze basket and dipped into the tinning or galvanizing solution asufflcient length of time to get the required coating. They are thenremoved and shaken thoroughly to throw oif any superfluous metal and arethen dumped into the chute a, dropping through the chute into thecylindrical body. The shaft is revolved at a high rate of speed, and asthe pieces fall into the cylindrical body they are thrown about betweenthe fingers or blades on the shaft and the stationary blades on theinterior of the cylinder. This. results in efiectually separating thepieces one from another, so that they drop into the boxK free from oneanother.

I do not wish to limit myself to the particular device shown in thedrawings, as it is evident that the arrangement and construction of thedevice may be modified Without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an agitating and separating device, thecombination with a tank and a removable box having a foraminous bottomWithin the tank, of a stationary body having an outwardly-extendingflange setting on the upper edge of the tank and spacing the interior ofsaid body from the end of said tank, the body being directly above thebox, with the one end of the latter extending beneath the flange and theother'end thereof extending beyond named flange, a chute having parallelside walls formed integral'with the cover, with said walls inclined withrelation to the cover, a flaring mouth on the chute, anoutwardlyextending flange on the body, and a tank receiving saidlast-named flange, substantially as described.

HARRY B. ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

OTTO BUROKHARDT, MAUD E. HACKNEY.

